Traditional Irish Lamb Stew
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If you crave tradition, this Irish Lamb Stew is much like recipes that have bubbled in Irish cauldrons for centuries. Tender lamb simmering in a fragrant broth with root vegetables is a perfect way to celebrate all things, Irish.
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For years, I served corned beef and cabbage, always a favorite, and then to mix it up a bit, we began serving salmon, always a traditional Irish choice.
But for some reason, our son has been craving Irish Lamb Stew on the 17th of March for the last several years—and I see no sign of it stopping.
It may be the idea that this stew bubbled in Irish cauldrons for centuries, or it may be our Celtic music and dancing that add to our fun, or it may be the accompanying.
Recipes similar to this traditional Irish Lamb Stew bubbled in cauldrons for centuries in Ireland, the custom surviving centuries!
When you’re ready to enjoy your stew, add an Apple Cake baked in a cast iron skillet!
Irish Lamb Stew Key Ingredients
- Lamb, shoulder or leg of lamb, chopped into bite-size pieces
- Onions, thickly sliced
- Russet potatoes, thickly sliced
- Turnip, cut into chunks
- Celery, cut into large pieces
- Carrots, cut into chunks
- Seasoning: Salt and black pepper, rosemary and thyme (fresh or dried) and fresh parsley for serving.
- Cooking oil and butter for sauteing and browning the lamb and butter for thickening the stew
And for the purists among us — substitute the lamb for 1.2kg mutton (year-old lamb), which equates to about 3.5 pounds. The rest of the ingredients are purely traditional.
How to Make Irish Lamb Stew
This simple, one-pot lamb stew is simple to make with mostly hands-off cooking.
Step 1: Brown the lamb
Season lamb with salt and pepper to taste. In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil over medium heat. Brown the seasoned lamb in small batches. Remove from the pot to a nearby plate.
Add the onions to the pot and the remaining oil and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pot and add to the lamb.
Step 2: Deglaze the pot and whisk in the broth
Deglaze the pot with a splash of water or broth. Then, whisk the butter and flour together and cook for one minute. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the water or broth in small amounts. Continue to whisk and add the liquid until it’s smooth.
Step 3: Slowly simmer
Add the lamb and onions back into the pot and simmer for 90 minutes or until the lamb is fork tender. Then add the potatoes, carrots, turnips, and thyme. Simmer for 25 minutes more or until the vegetables are tender.
Serving the Stew
Taste and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve the stew in deep plates or bowls, and scatter freshly chopped parsley over the top. Irish soda bread is the perfect accompaniment!
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Traditional Irish Lamb Stew
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs lamb shoulder or leg of lamb, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil divided
- 1 large onion thickly sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4-5 cups water or chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 medium russet potatoes thickly sliced (about 1.5 lbs)
- 3 carrots chopped into chunks
- 1 turnip peeled and chopped into chunks
- 3 celery stalks cut into large pieces
- fresh thyme and parsley for serving
Equipment
Instructions
- Season lamb with salt and pepper to taste. In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil over medium heat and brown the seasoned lamb in small batches. Remove from the pot to a nearby plate.
- Add the onions to the pot along with the remaining oil and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pot and add to the lamb.
- Deglaze the pot with a splash of water or broth. Then, whisk butter and flour together and cook for one minute. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the water or broth in small amounts. Continue to whisk and add the liquid until it's smooth.
- Add the lamb and onions back into the pot and simmer for 90 minutes or until the lamb is fork tender. Then add the potatoes, carrots, turnips, and thyme. Simmer for 25 minutes more or until the vegetables are tender.
- Taste and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve the stew in deep plates or bowls, and scatter freshly chopped parsley over the top. Irish soda bread is the perfect accompaniment!
Notes
- Lamb: Some cuts of lamb can be more fatty. If needed, skim the foam or fat off the top of the stew. Be careful not to boil the lamb. As the old saying goes, “A stew boiled is a stew spoiled.”
- Thickening: If you would like the stew thicker, make a slurry with equal parts cornstarch and water (1-2 tablespoons) and slowly stir it into the simmering stew near the end of cooking. Add a little at a time until it’s as thick as you desire.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.